I am needing a font chart.

[Custom_Grafx]

I've found that having samples of my work on the walls of my shop is my best font chart.
People look and point and indicate that they want "something like that".

Then I have an idea of the style they like and use an appropriate font of MY choosing. Most of the time they don't know the difference if I change it up.

This is the best way for sure.

+1

 

[Marlene]

to help my clients choose a font that suits them.

I cringed when I saw this. pick what you think suits them and show them those fonts. never, never let them pick as they aren't pros when it comes to this and you should be.

 

[graywoulf]

OK,I get the message.

I thank all of you for your time and input. Even the sarcastic replies. Colin I especially thank you for your input which I found to be most helpful. I agree with all of you about not giving them a choice but sometimes clients think they know something about my business and want to try to impress me with a few font names. I usually tell them that I have had to limit myself to around 900 fonts which blows their minds enough to prompt them to leave the decision up to me anyway. Colin's list is what I will give them to choose from and the take it from there. Again, thanks for the advice.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I have this printed out...

http://creativebits.org/inspiration/periodic_table_typefaces

 

[Pat Whatley]

The worst idea we ever had at the shop was printing a font catalog. Customers would literally spend half an hour making ridiculously bad decisions. Now we have 15 fonts displayed on the wall mainly to give them an idea of different styles.

 

[Colin]

The worst idea we ever had at the shop was printing a font catalog. Customers would literally spend half an hour making ridiculously bad decisions.

Yup. And they often don't like the font they picked when they see their particular word/title/boat name typed out in it!

In my early days I used to get sucked into this black hole of time consumption, but now I say: "As I'm sure you know, there are literally thousands of fonts available, and we could spend the rest of our lives looking at them. So how about if you describe the feeling or character that you're after."

Even worse is when you hear this: "My wife is an artist, so she's already picked out the font." I had this happen once, and she felt that Viner Hand ITC was a really good choice. Obviously I couldn't say anything, otherwise I would be bruising her delicate yet massive ego, so I did the job, and it looked like hell. Oh, and it was a multi-million dollar luxury yacht.

Painful.

 

[Joe Diaz]

It is hard enough for possessional designers to pick the best type style to fit a specific customer and work well with the other elements they request for their design. How is someone that doesn't do this for a living going to make a good choice. If you do do something like this. Keep it simple like you said. Just the difference between script and block etc.. Don't let them pick anything specific.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

Just make one. I made 5 pages worth double columned and it's cut my time down considerably. As for letting the customers choose, I let them choose 3 then I design in front of them with the 3 typefaces a layout each that works for that style of lettering. Takes me about 10 minutes to get all 3 to a stage that they can choose. .... takes them longer to choose colors than me to design for them. In the end the customer only knows what they like for lettering ... it comes down to you needing to make it work. And make sure your list is all lettering you approve of.

And if you put Brush Script on there 99% of them will choose it!
Not a good idea to let them choose.

I would say 30% for my customers, with brisk, buffalo nickle, and creampuff all right next to brush script ... they almost never choose it unless they have other brush script lettering. ... most choose brisk.

 

[Joe Diaz]

As for letting the customers choose, I let them choose 3 then I design in front of them with the 3 typefaces a layout each that works for that style of lettering. .

You design in front of them???? oh man that sounds like fun. :Big Laugh
Do you at least get a down payment first?

 

[TyrantDesigner]

You design in front of them???? oh man that sounds like fun. :Big Laugh
Do you at least get a down payment first?

It is fun sometimes. Most of the people who sit in my office while I design are there for signs "while you wait" and really are looking just for lettering so you can easily pull out a bag of tricks to "wow" them. Most come in looking for just blocked out lettering and leave with a start of company branding. Plus, I'm talking to them while I'm doing it so I'm constantly getting feedback for what they think looks interesting, which cuts down on tweaking post fact ...

Still get the occasional "nudger" who spends 25 minutes wanting you to nudge elements around 1/32" at a time ... but thats the shakes.

 

[Fbomb]

If you really want to make a font list...Just pick out 1 that represents a handfull of typestyles...a script, basic, bold, fancy, etc... Then if they don't like any of them, you just say, which style of these do you like and pick something yourself...But like everyone is saying, you are asking for trouble. Especially with grunge or destroy fonts.

And if they ask for a graffiti font, tell them to step!

 

[GAC05]

Make up a chart with:
Comic Sans
Brush Script
Papyrus
Old English
Copperplate
Commercial Script (upper case only)

If the customer picks any of these without asking to see something else
send them to Mosh.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[Colin]

Don't forget Serpentine!

 

[TyrantDesigner]

And Joker ..

 

[cartoad]

We have a book of fonts that we printed out from our main design computer in a notebook, that when we get out for those that want to see "what we gots". Also have a few on the wall, I would like to have a chart of fonts that had a good selection for customers to choose from. I cleaned up and printed the "table of fonts" a while back, but while interesting to me, clients are not impressed with it as a tool. I have thought what would be helpfull would be the font, and possible applications, but have never had the time to do that (too much time reading stuff here on 101 LOL)

 

[Kaiser]

Show them 2, 5, 10, 24 or more faces on one chart or page and I guarantee you that 99 out of 100 will simply pick the boldest face shown.

I fully agree. Or comic sans. LOL

 

[DizzyMarkus]

1/2 are speaking of the individual fonts -- From what I read the OP was looking for font classifications, not a list of each font on their PC. I wouldn't mind having something along these lines as well. Something simple that shows differences between script, brushed, block etc to display on the wall. Never to give them a actual font choice, only a direction hehe

Markus

 

[idsignsil]

I agree with not letting the client choose from hundreds of different fonts. But you still need to get some direction from them. I don't have time to sit and wait for them to try and draw something that I can make heads or tails of. So if they want to choose from a font style I let them.

A while back this letter visibility chart was shared with me from this very website. It also has a font styles at the bottom. I have it up on the wall and the clients can look at it and get an idea of the font style that they want, but that is all. I tell them I will give them options in that style.

So, to help out the OP and anyone else that would like; I have an eps version of this chart just pm me and I will be happy to share.